Two-cavity syringe package

ABSTRACT

A body part of a package is formed of plastic having cavities of a configuration to receive a syringe and a vial. These cavities are open at one side and one end. A cardboard cover is placed on said side using an integral rim and locator keys on the body part to facilitate positioning. The cardboard cover is heat sealed to the body part at said side. The syringe and the vial are then inserted into the cavities through the open ends. The cover is then folded across the open ends and temporarily affixed in place with a pair of projecting detents on the body part. An extending tab on the end of the cardboard is heat sealed to a peripheral flange on the body part.

[111 3,746,155 1 July 17, 1973 1 TWO-CAVITY SYRINGE PACKAGE [75] Inventor: Leonard Seeley, Palatine, Ill.

[73] Assignee: Plastofilm Industries, Inc., Wheaton,

Ill.

22 Filed: July 19,1971

21 Appl.No.: 163,782

[52] US. Cl 206/43, 206/72, 229/2.5,

229/15 [51 1 Int. Cl. [365d 85/54 [58] Field of Search 206/43, 45.19, 45.34,

206/46 R, 46 FR, 47 R, 56 R, 56 AC, 63.2 R, 65 R, 72, D10. 24, 29; 229/2.5, 15, 44 R, 51 R, 51 AS, 51 TC, 51 SC, 66

813,696 5/1969 Canada ..206/43 Primary Examiner Samuel B. Rothberg Assistant ExaminerSteven E. Lipman Attorneyl-loward H. Darbo et al.

[57] ABSTRACT A body part of a package is formed of plastic having cavities of a configuration to receive a syringe and a vial. These cavities are open at one side and one end. A cardboard cover is placed on said side using an integral rim and locator keys on the body part to facilitate positioning. The cardboard cover is heat sealed to the body part at said side. The syringe and the vial are then inserted into the cavities through the open ends. The cover is then folded across the open ends and tempo rarily affixed in place with a pair of projecting detents on the body part. An extending tab on the end of the cardboard is heat sealed to a peripheral flange on the body part.

7 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures Patented July 17, 1973 w H j M 9 H. iid

l m7 5 w/ w l TVQ TWO-CAVITY SYRINGE PACKAGE DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention in the process of being filled with a vial and a syringe;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a part of the finished package;

FIG. 3 is a section as viewed at line 3-3 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a view from the rear of the finished package.

DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENT The following disclosure is offered for public dissemination in return for the grant of a patent. Although it is detailed to ensure adequacy and aid understanding, this is not intended to prejudice that purpose of a patent which is to cover each new inventive concept therein no matter how others may later disguise it by variations in form or additions or further improvements. The claims at the end hereof are intended as the chief aid toward this purpose, as it is these that meet the requirement of pointing out the parts, improvements, or combinations in which the inventive concepts are found.

The embodiment herein disclosed was devised for holding a syringe l and a vial ll of medicine where such items might be required to be produced with extreme urgency by a doctor. Thus, they must be carefully packaged to be sure that they would be in usable condition when opened. At the same time, they must be readily accessible because of the emergency requirements, as, for example, in the case of cardiac arrest. To this end, the package comprises a body part, generally 12, and a cover part, generally 13. The body part is vacuum formed'from a sheet of thermoplastic plastic. It has what may be termed a forwardly side which is defined by rims (which also extend about the open end). Extending backwardly from the rims 15 is a recess which terminates in faces 16. Between the faces 16 are two cavities 17 and 18 defined by a wall 23. Cavity 17 is of a configuration to receive the vial 11. Cavity 18 is of a configuration to receive the syringe 10. The two cavities are of approximately the same configuration as the objects that they are to receive. The cavities are open at one side, i.e. between the faces 16, and at one end.

Also extending rearwardly from the front of the main body are sidewalls 19, 20, endwall 21 and a partial endwall 22. It will be noted that the sidewalls 19, 20 and the endwall 21 are spaced from the walls 23 that define the cavities l7 and 18 thereby defining access openings 24. At the rearwardly, distal edge of the side and end walls is a peripheral flange 25. The primary purpose of 1 the flange is for stiffening said sidewalls. At the same time, it provides part of the means for attaching the cover part 13. To this end, htere are a pair of projecting detents 26 which are slightly spaced from endwall 22 and define locking grooves 27 between them and the endwall. Extending outwardly from the faces 16 are a pair of cover locator keys 28.

The cover part 13 is formed of cardboard having a plastic coating to make it heat scalable. Such a plastic coating might be a vinyl adhesive. It has a main portion 31 of a size to be easily received in the recess defined by rim 15 and to abut the faces '16. This main portion has openings or'cutouts 32 to receive the coverlocator keys 28. At the end of the main portion, the cover is creased to form a hinge 33. Beyond the hinge is a flap portion 34 of a size to cover the ends of the cavities and abut the partial endwall 22. A tab 35 extends beyond the flap '34 and a crease 36 forms a hinge therebetween. The tab is of a size to be received between the detents 26 andto abut the end part of flange 25.

In preparing the package for shipment, the first step is, of course, to form the body part 12 and the cover part 13. The manner of doing this will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art. After the parts are so formed, the main portion 31 of the cover part is located within the recess defined by rim 15. The two are then heat sealed together along the faces 16, as by means of hot irons 39, seen in FIG. 3. Thus, all of the sides of the cavities are closed, but the end of the cavities remain open. The objects to be packaged are now inserted into the cavities through the open ends. The flap 34 is folded over against face 22 with the distal edges of the flap being slipped into the grooves 27. The detents serve to hold the flap in place, at least temporarily. The tab 35 is held against the flange 25 and the two then are heat sealed together as at 40.

The package is now ready for transportation and storage until needed. When the contents are needed, the user grasps the tab 35 in one hand and the adjacent part of flange 25 in the other. To facilitate grasping the tab 35, the flange 25 is provided with a cutout 4]. Pulling apart on the two hands will break the heat seal 40 and the cover can easily be stripped from the body. Depending upon the desires of the user, only the end flap 34 can be pulled away from the body or the entire cover can be completely separated from the body. The syringe and via] are now immediately available for use. While it is not ordinarily necessary that the cavities be sterilized before objects are inserted therein and that the package be such as to retain sterility, this could be a possibility. In any event, 7 the configuration of the package components is such that they will maintain the objects in as clean condition asthey were when they were inserted to the extent of holding out dust, dirt, etc.

While a number of the advantages of the invention will be apparent from the foregoing description, some discussion may be in order. In the first place, the package is relatively inexpensive. The vacuum formed bodies are extremely inexpensive to produce in quantity and, of course, the cardboard covers are likewise most inexpensive. All of the operations are ideally suited for I would place the main portion 31 of the cover into the recess defined by the rim 15 of the body part. This is facilitated not only by the existence of the rim but also by reason of the keys .28. The keys will insure that the cover part is properly oriented until the machine can heat seal the two together at a second station. While continuing to move along a conveyor, the partial packages so fonned can have the objects inserted into the cavities. Since the cavities are open only at an end, the objects will seat in the cavities and nottend to be displaced. At another station along the conveyor, the flap 34 and tab 35 are moved into position. The detents 26 maintain this position of parts until, at a subsequent station, the heat sealing 40 is performed.

Another important advantage is in the cushioning effect provided. Thus the relatively thin plastic employed in vacuum molding has a substantial amount of resiliency in the finished product. Furthermore, the cover 13 can be made of a weight of cardboard that likewise has some resiliency. This resiliency will serve to cushion the objects put into the cavity. At the same time, the finished package has a surprising amount of strength to resist blows, etc.

I claim:

l. A package for a given number of objects of a given configuration, said package comprising:

a molded plastic body part having a pair of faces in a plane at one side of said part, said part having walls defining pockets of said number extending back from said side and between said faces, said pockets being open at an end of said part and being approximately of said configuration, said body part having sidewalls extending rearwardly from said side and a partial endwall at said end and about said nubmer of pockets, said sidewalls being spaced from said walls defining said pockets and defining openings therebetween to permit access to the back side of said faces, said body part having a peripheral flange at the rear of said sidewalls;

a planar cover part extending between said faces and covering said number of pockets, said cover part being attached to said body part at said faces, said cover part defining a hinge at the intersection of said side and said end and extending sufficiently beyond said hinge in the form of a flap to cover said open end of said number of pockets;

said parts having means for releasably attaching the distal end'of the flap to the body part;

whereby said number of objects may be inserted into said number of pockets and said flap attached to the body part to form a transportable filled package and subsequently the flap detached from the body part to enable the number of objects to be removed for use.

2. A package as set forth in claim 1, wherein said means includes a forwardly extending detent in said flange at said end defining a locking groove between it and said partial endwall for receiving a distal edge of said flap.

3. A package as set forth in claim 2, wherein there are two of said detents defining a space therebetween, said distal edge of said flap having an outwardly tab hinged thereto and positioned to lie in said space and in juxtaposition to said flange.

4. A package as set forth in claim 2, wherein said body part defines a rim between the front of the sidewalls and said faces, said rim being forwardly of said faces to define a recess extending back to said faces, said cover part being within said recess.

5. A package as set forth in claim 4, wherein said body part has cover locator keys projecting forwardly from said faces, and said cover part has openings positioned to mate with said locator keys, thereby facilitating the positioning of the cover part on the body part 6. A package as set forth in claim 5, wherein said body part is a vacuum molded plastic, and said cover part is cardboard having a plastic coating to enable it to be heat sealed to said body part.

7. A package as set forth in claim 1, wherein said body part is a vacuum molded plastic and said cover part is cardboard having a plastic coating to enable it to be heat sealed to said body part. 

1. A package for a given number of objects of a given configuration, said package comprising: a molded plastic body part having a pair of faces in a plane at one side of said part, said part having walls defining pockets of said number extending back from said side and between said faces, said pockets being open at an end of said part and being approximately of said configuration, said body part having sidewalls extending rearwardly from said side and a partial endwall at said end and about said nubmer of pockets, said sidewalls being spaced from said walls defining said pockets and defining openings therebetween to permit access to the back side of said faces, said body part having a peripheral flange at the rear of said sidewalls; a planar cover part extending between said faces and covering said number of pockets, said cover part being attached to said body part at said faces, said cover part defining a hinge at the intersection of said side and said end and extending sufficiently beyond said hinge in the form of a flap to cover said open end of said number of pockets; said parts having means for releasably attaching the distal end of the flap to the body part; whereby said number of objects may be inserted into said number of pockets and said flap attached to the body part to form a transportable filled package and subsequently the flap detached from the body part to enable the number of objects to be removed for use.
 2. A package as set forth in claim 1, wherein said means includes a forwardly extending detent in said flange at said end defining a locking groove between it and said partial endwall for receiving a distal edge of said flap.
 3. A package as set forth in claim 2, wherein there are two of said detents defining a space therebetween, said distal edge of said flap having an outwardly tab hinged thereto and positioned to lie in said space and in juxtaposition to said flange.
 4. A package as set forth in claim 2, wherein said body part defines a rim between the front of the sidewalls and said faces, said rim being forwardly of said faces to define a recess extending back to said faces, said cover part being within said recess.
 5. A package as set forth in claim 4, wherein said body part has cover locator keys projecting forwardly from said faces, and said cover part has openings positioned to mate with said locator keys, thereby facilitating the positioning of the cover part on the body part.
 6. A package as set forth in claim 5, wherein said body part is a vacuum molded plastic, and said cover part is cardboard having a plastic coating to enable it to be heat sealed to said body part.
 7. A package as set forth in claim 1, wherein said body part is a vacuum molded plastic and said cover part is cardboard having a plastic coating to enable it to be heat sealed to said body part. 